


i'd rather fight with you, then laugh with another

by softchimchimmie



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boxing, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beruka is a bit OOC since her childhood won't be as rough, But she will always be confused, Cheating, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, They try and sort out their feelings, they're trying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 12:13:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14670870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softchimchimmie/pseuds/softchimchimmie
Summary: Beruka doesn't know what to do when she's thrust into a world of emotion.





	i'd rather fight with you, then laugh with another

Beruka’s blood boiled beneath her skin as she rewrapped gauze around her knuckles. It was probably night by the way that dark was the only thing that seemed to show through the window. 

“Damn,” she muttered, running her fingers back through her hair. She’d lost track of time, taking her time with the punching bag and beating it to a pulp. She never quite remembered the last time she really took a break, not that she really needed one. Her eyes rose when she heard the sound of the treadmill stop. In the trio of equipment that was pressed into a corner, only one was used. It was occupied by a busty, blonde teenager that didn’t seem to care that she was a bit underdressed, and had been jogging for the same amount of time that Beruka had been there. 

She approached, a bottle of water in hand. She hadn’t grown fond of the girl’s appearance in the gym, though they’d grown acquainted. Talked occasionally, initially instigated by the girl, Charlotte. 

Charlotte pulled the earbuds from her ears, accepting the bottle of water as her steps slowed. “I still don’t get how you’re able to keep it up all day,” she huffed, bringing a side of a towel to her face, wiping the sweat off. She took a quick sip of water, settling down on the edge of her treadmill, a leg resting on both sides of Beruka. 

“You kept up pretty well, I don’t think I saw you take many breaks,” Beruka supplied, shrugging a bit. 

“When it comes from you, it doesn’t sound like a compliment at all,” Charlotte snorted, casually laying back. She was still a bit short of breath, chest rising and falling as she stared at the ceiling. The old venue had been a bit beat up, though it was homey. 

It reminded Beruka about a meaningless conversation they’d had before. Something about how Beruka could’ve had better than a run-down shack of a training spot. Though with time, Charlotte took that back, becoming accustomed to the silence and peace that was the silver lining that Beruka loved about the atmosphere. Perhaps love was an overstatement, though she supposed it could be that she found it more pleasant than being surrounded by more sweaty men and women than she already was. 

She shook the thought, turning her head when she heard the front door to the small gym open. 

“Scarlet!” Charlotte called, grinning widely as she hopped to her feet. “Oh… and…” her face wrinkled in slight disgust as she noticed someone beside her girlfriend’s side. She didn't resist being pulled into Scarlet’s buff arms, though did steer away from the slightly taller man who had also come in. 

Beruka let out a quiet breath, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to get back to her drills since the two “long lost lovers” (as dramatically told by Inigo if he ever came in to entertain for a little) had communed. 

“Beruka, wait! I’m not done talking to you!” Charlotte huffed, voice filled with a tinge of annoyance as she caught the girl before she could escape to the locker room. “Come on, I helped you wrap your hands today, I deserve more than five minutes of your time!” 

“... Would you prefer coffee?” Beruka asked, seeing the agreement already making a link in Charlotte’s eyes. 

Charlotte pouted a bit, not voicing confirmation yet.

“Actually,” Scarlet interjected, a wide grin on her face. Her honesty and brashness clashed with Charlotte, so Beruka was curious as to how they were together to begin with. The link between soulmates must’ve been strong. 

“You’re participating in,” “Illegal,” Charlotte smirked, Scarlet gently swatting her arm, “The competition taking place in the lair of the fire tribe, right?” she asked, eyes gleaming with life. 

“Yes… I’ve convened with Rinkah and she confirmed that it’ll be this Saturday. The match-ups haven’t been made just yet, though she’s hoping that to spar beforehand,” Beruka murmured, mentally groaning when she felt Charlotte carefully beginning to unwind the gauze that she had just finished putting back on. She didn’t pull back though. It had become routine so that Beruka would stay just a bit longer to wait for the blonde’s tediously slow unwinding. 

“Ah right!” Scarlet exclaimed, gesturing the the man beside him who could be much older than any of them. “This is Saizo, by the day. A friend of Ryoma. He was looking for a place to hangout,” she said, winking as if the statement were to have a different meaning.

“Does that mean… I have to rewrap my hands?” Beruka asked blankly, hearing the squawk that Charlotte let out. 

A nervous laugh escaped Scarlet as she nodded, “I though maybe I could get a round in, too.” 

Beruka simply nodded, “The changing rooms are over there. If you find anything weird, just don’t touch it,” she sighed, remembering countless, annoying times that someone had run out carrying insightful things out into the open. 

Scarlet grinned, skipping off in the direction of the female’s locker room, while Saizo headed towards the male. Charlotte had a soft pout on her face as she began to rewrap Beruka’s hands. 

“You know, you really don’t have to wrap and unwrap my hands…” Beruka trailed, appreciatively balling up her fists to make sure the bandages were enforced. “Though I do appreciate it. Thank you.”

“No problem!” Charlotte smirked, “Consider it repayment for getting me coffee when I’m too lazy to run out.”

“Or just wanting me out when you see a guy or girl you like,” Beruka offered, not one for jokes, though she figured it was good considering the cackle that Charlotte let out. 

“You got me there! And how about that guy that Scarlet brought in? Is he your type?”

“I don’t get your meaning,” Beruka huffed, pressing a finger to Charlotte’s face and pushing her away when she threatened her personal bubble. “Nor do I have the intention though. Such things are trivial and unconventional.”

“Love and infatuation are _not_ unconventional or inconvenient,” Charlotte huffed, coming closer despite the protesting hand that was placed flatly on her shoulder.

“You just flirt with whoever---” Beruka said, baffled as Charlotte pressed closer, “I don’t understand---”

“But I love Scarlet. I flirt with people impulsively and I like to. Love is not something you understand, it’s something you can feel and embrace, or you can feel and reject. But don’t you dare ever say it’s… it’s not worth it.”

Beruka guessed it might’ve been Scarlet’s doing that she was being much more honest than usual. Not only was it her sincere outtake in the relationship, but the influence that their soulmate bond held on them both. 

“Okay,” Beruka said softly, eyes wide when she felt Charlotte’s hands link with her own in a tough grip. “I believe you.”

She let out a quiet breath, wiping at his eyebrow, “Sorry, that must’ve been uncomfortable,” Charlotte said, “But thank you for not knocking me out.”

“I could if you wanted me to,” Beruka commented, trying to bring her lips up into a miniscule smile. Charlotte grinned, leaning closer.

“Oh is that so? Would you?” she egged, not missing the embarrassed dash in Beruka’s eyes as she hung over the girl. Before she could advance, an arm wrapped around Charlotte’s stomach and brought her into the air. 

“Now, now! No more harassing of the pure child!” Scarlet said, bringing Charlotte close and pressing a kiss to her neck.

“Please don’t meme me,” Beruka mused, standing up and dragging the front of her tank top over her shoulders. 

“Oh my god, what are you doing?” Charlotte stuttered. Though she had become accustomed to being able to stare at the people who came and went in the gym, but she’d always been the only one to dress down. 

“Don’t get so embarrassed. You’re just too distracted to look at the ring when I’m sparring with someone, I always take off my shirt since it sometimes gets in the way or becomes sticky and uncomfortable,” she insisted. 

“But won’t it make you bruise easier? I can’t see the appeal other than being eye candy,” Charlotte hummed. 

“I’m not exactly eye candy, but yeah, it does make it so I feel the brunt of the pain,” _but it makes me feel alive_ she thought numbly, catching herself before anything could be seen in her eyes. It’d been a few days since she last sparred with someone, so the soft bruises that adorned her abdomen had become much more fated since the last time she looked at them, though her eyes didn’t linger when Saizo appeared. 

“What order will we be going in?” she asked, pulling herself up and into the rink. 

“I haven’t warmed up too much, and I don’t want to embarrass myself with a crushing defeat,” Scarlet chortled. “I’ll be your warm up, be nice, please.” 

Beruka nodded. 

She felt lucky that Inigo had come in recently and had practically forced her to be his dance partner--- if not, she didn’t think she would be able to be as light on her feet as she had been then. 

Though it was a difficult task, Beruka loved to spar with Scarlet. Her movements were predictable, but there were sometimes when Scarlet’s rhythm would change and catch her off guard. She would be lucky to dodge in time, but it was a moment of weakness that Scarlet always took advantage of. 

Beruka faltered when she noticed Scarlet’s hand coming down. She didn’t move. Instead, almost instinctively, her hands wrapped around Scarlet’s moving wrist, thumbs pressing upwards against her fist. 

They both stopped, Beruka bringing Scarlet’s fist down slowly. 

“You’ll snap your tendon if you do that,” she said through softly labored breaths. 

Scarlet paused, before letting out a bark of laughter, pulling Beruka to her side. “Always attentive, well, that was a good warm up, was it not?” she asked, patting Beruka’s head, “Thanks for looking out for me Beru. We’ll have to go out again sometime, it’s been a long time.”

“Yeah,” Beruka agreed, watching Charlotte receive her girlfriend once she slipped from the ring. Saizo appeared moments later, offering a bottle of water and a towel. Beruka took it, taking tiny sips and wiping at her forehead and neck. 

“You think you’ll be okay continuing?” Charlotte asked, leaning over the edge of the ring. 

“Of course,” Beruka responded, draping the towel over one of the elastic walls and dropping the bottle to the floor. 

Sparring with someone new was always a fun experience. Beruka tended to be a bit more lenient on her first time, but by the was that Saizo held himself, she knew not to let her guard down (not that she had.)

She was quick to realize that Saizo was quick on his feet. Really quick. She had a hard time keeping up, letting out a deep breath when she realized that if she attempted to keep up, she would most likely be struck down quickly attempting to follow his lead. So she waited. Gradually catching up with his quick steps. They had yet to land any blows on each other, relying on defenses rather than being offensive. Beruka was the the first to find a weak spot, a cinch in Saizo’s movements. She didn’t like playing on physical advantages, but she saw her first blow being landed on Saizo’s right side. 

Charlotte let out a sharp whistle, seeing Beruka drawing her arm back to land a hit. But it soon grew to disbelief as she swung, but her fist didn’t connect. It was as if a barrier had found its way in between them. 

Beruka’s eyebrows knit together, pulling back quickly, almost stumbling. 

“Oh my god,” Charlotte said, seeing the way that Beruka apprehensively stepped back. 

“This is done,” she said, Saizo’s eye widening at her quick escape. 

“Wait, Beruka!” Charlotte called, racing after the girl as she bolted into the changing rooms. 

She found Beruka unwrapping her hands hastily, eyes confused as they ended up almost becoming tangled in the layers that were wrapped around her hands. 

“Beruka,” Charlotte soothed, grabbing Beruka’s hands. She had known Beruka to be stoic, never showing emotion, so what had cracked in her to make her act the way she did? 

She looked scared, anxious as her eyes met Charlotte’s. She wasn’t confident like her, was easily consumed by emotion when it sprung up on her randomly. But she trusted Charlotte, even if she never wanted to admit it. (Charlotte would probably look smug rather than happy, maybe tease her a bit as she did.)

“What’s with you?” Charlotte asked, lightly pushing Beruka’s hands apart and beginning to unwind the gauze. 

“I… I know it’s fortunate,” she said, blankly looking at her hands, “I know there are people who are without a soulmate or don’t meet them for a long time… but at the same time… I didn’t want to meet them.”

“Oh,” Charlotte said, sighing quietly, “Beruka, you know, I didn’t always like Scarlet.”

Beruka looked up. 

“Though it is true that what brought us together was that we were soulmates, she made it clear that someone like me wasn’t someone she would fall in love with. The human heart is a fickle thing, so delicate even when you believe that nothing can affect you.”

Beruka could tell she was trying to explain something that probably couldn’t be said through words, but she listened anyways. 

“For a long time we didn’t get along, we used to always fight… but when it came down to it, I grew to like her for who she was. At first she was a bid rude, a bit brash, though when I got to know her, I got to know that even without our soul bond she was sincere, kind, and always looking for honesty. Relationships are scary, I was used to having flings with people who had nothing better to do, but you can change. I love you Beruka, but I don’t like the way that you’re so stoned face because I feel like that isn’t you. I see the way you stand back even when you want to speak out, and I see you whenever you allow a twitch of emotion to appear on your face. I think that maybe this could help,” she let in a deep breath, rustling through Beruka’s bag and giving her a shirt, “I don’t like Saizo. He and I don’t get along too much, but he… he’s sort of like you. A bit cold, a bit stoic, a bit of a sweetheart if you give him a chance. I know you aren’t looking for a lover right now, but give it a chance. Fate is weird. It pairs the weirdest people together, but you just need to take the step and allow yourself to fall in blind, no matter how scary.”

Beruka sucked in a breath. She hated how a part of her panged at Charlotte’s words, and she could feel herself becoming calm again. If anything, she didn’t need to listen, but Charlotte’s words had hit her hard. 

“I’ll try,” she said, receiving the hopeful look on Charlotte’s face. “I’ll try.”


End file.
